K海角社区 receives new transmitter and antenna to increase coverage
12/14/2015
K海角社区 has received a new transmitter and antenna that is set to be installed by the end of the year and running by early 2016.
The new transmitter and antenna will provide a stronger signal and greater reach for K海角社区. 鈥淭here will be a coverage increase to the east and north of Baton Rouge and we hope to be able to reach another 100,000 people if all goes well,鈥� said John Friscia, broadcast engineer and K海角社区 adviser. 鈥淥ur current coverage pattern reaches 360,000 potential listeners and with our new coverage pattern, 85,000- 90,000 more people will be able to be reached,鈥� he said.
Before the new transmitter can be installed though, the old transmitter will have to be removed, which will be a strenuous and lengthy process. The new transmitter will also have to be gutted in order to move it upstairs in Chopin Hall on the campus of 海角社区, where the transmitter is currently housed.
鈥淥nce the new transmitter is installed, there still are many steps afterwards that will have to be taken before it鈥檚 up and running,鈥� said Friscia. 鈥淕etting the new transmitter installed and tested out is the first half of the project and the other half is to install a new antenna,鈥� he said.
To go along with the increase in power that the transmitter will bring, a new antenna was purchased to handle the increase. 鈥淭he antenna has to be installed by an outside surveyor who specializes in directional installation of antennas,鈥� said Friscia. Once the antenna is installed in early 2016, the process will be complete and K海角社区鈥檚 coverage pattern will be increased by 25%.
The purchasing of the transmitter and antenna were made possible through student media funds and also money raised from K海角社区鈥檚 annual fundraisers.
About K海角社区
K海角社区 (91.1 FM) is the student-run college radio station for 海角社区 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a format of college/variety music and specialty programming. The station is part of the university鈥檚 Student Media Program and employs students as DJs and management staff. K海角社区 broadcasts across the Baton Rouge area at 5,700 watts of power, and is able to reach up to 40 miles outside of the 海角社区 campus. The station is licensed under the FCC as an NCE (non-commercial educational) radio station. K海角社区 is one of 700 college radio stations across the United States that submits music chart reports to the weekly publication CMJ (College Music Journal) magazine.